Want to keep your home clutter free after you've decluttered? Stop the clutter cycle with these easy tips.
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You finally did it. You Konmari'ed the entire house from top to bottom. Everything is sparking joy, your clothes are perfectly folded, and every piece of Tupperware has a lid.
So you can just sit back and enjoy your wonderfully decluttered home, right?
Not so fast. Clutter has a way of creeping back in and before you know it you have ALL 75 things you should throw away in your junk drawer alone.
It's time to stop the cycle once and for all and keep your home clutter free. And I'm here to show you how.
How to Keep Your Home Clutter Free
So how exactly does clutter creep back in to our homes and lives? Let me tell you a story.
A few weeks ago, I was shopping for classroom Valentines when I stumbled on a massive kitchen accessories sale. It was epic, like $2 for brand name kitchen gear. But I had just decluttered my kitchen drawers, getting rid of a bunch of duplicates and things I just didn't use.
But... but... these prices.
Normally I would have bought all the things that I could have possibly maybe sometimes used because it was just too good to pass up. But this time I didn't. I had just decluttered my kitchen drawers and cabinets, so I decided to ask myself a few questions before I picked out anything new.
Because the way to keep your home clutter free is to only bring things into your home that have a place and a purpose.
Before you buy something, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Where will I put this?
2. How will I use this?
3. Can this replace something that I already have?
As I stood in the kitchen aisle, I thought about these questions. I had newly cleaned out cabinets and drawers, so I knew what I already had, what could stand to be replaced, and what space I had for new things.
I knew that both my muffin tins and rubber spatulas had seen better days, so it made sense for me to replace these things with new ones. These are things I use a lot and the price and quality was right.
I decided against the cookie press because honestly, I already have a ton of cookie cutters that don't get enough use. I don't have space in the cabinets for a cookie press, I would likely only use it once a year, and I don't want to replace the cookie cutters because my kids love them.
When you are more mindful of the things that you bring into your home, you can stop clutter before it starts and keep your home clutter free. So as you are out running errands or browsing online, keep the three questions in mind.
Before you purchase something new, make sure you have a place for it. Marie Kondo tells us to make sure everything has a home and this is one of the best ways to avoid clutter creep.
Be honest with yourself about how much you will use something. I make lots of muffins, so having new tins is something that's going to get a lot of use in my house. Spritz cookies? Not so much.
Finally, try to follow the "one in, one out" rule. If you buy a new pair of shoes, let it replace an older pair that is worn out.
I know what you're thinking. This sounds great, but what about the stuff I can't control? You know, the stack of papers my kids bring home every day?
I hear you. A lot of the clutter that ends up in our homes is not things that we make a conscious choice to buy. It's the papers kids bring home from school, bills and financial documents, happy meal toys (no judgment, they can be awesome). Fortunately, I have a hack for that.
Everyone in my house has a "cubby" (yes, I totally stole this idea from preschool). I use a 2 cube storage tower with bins for the kids. They can toss in all their school papers, treasures and random stuff so that it stays in one spot and doesn't add clutter to the house.
When the bins get full, we do a declutter and purge. This helps keep our house clutter free and gives my kids the freedom and choice to decide what they keep and what goes. This is a lesson that we've learned from Marie Kondo - everyone respects each other's choices about what is important to them.
See more lessons Marie Kondo can teach your kids here.
Keeping your home clutter free is not an impossible task. When you are mindful of what comes in to your home, what stays, and what goes, you can stay on top of clutter before it creeps in.
Ready to declutter all the things? Click here for tips, resources, and printables to get you started!
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